Report shows 30,000 Oklahoma teachers have left profession

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A new State Department of Education report shows about 30,000 Oklahoma teachers, or 10 percent of the teaching workforce, have left the profession in the last six years.

The report released Tuesday shows Oklahoma’s exodus compares to a national rate of 7.7 percent.

The report highlights several effects of the state’s ongoing teacher shortage, including teacher-student ratios and an increasing number of emergency-certified educators who are teaching subjects in which they lack expertise.

State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister described the loss of teachers as “staggering.”

The report notes that it is not clear what effect last year’s teacher pay raise will have on the shortage. The Legislature approved an average annual pay raise of $6,100 a year for teachers.